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PRODUCE OF LOST TO ,400 ACRES IL WAYS
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How a Mixed Fleet of 57 Vehicles Enabled a Farmer to Reduce His Costs to Meet Growing Competition : Long-distance Vehicles Average 35,000 Miles a Year BEFORE 1939, practically all the agricultural produce from the 8,400 acres farmed by Mr. Arthur S. Rickwood at Chatteris, Cambridge, and other estates in the eastern counties, was taken to market by rail. Competition from other growers was increasing and some way had to be found to reduce costs. It was therefore decided, in that year, to economize by changing over from rail to road transport and the wisdom of the decision has never been in doubt.
To-day, the fleet includes 25 vehicles engaged on longdistance transport, collecting produce from farms at Kennet in Cambridge, Feltnell in Norfolk and Risby in Suffolk, or from the main transport depot at Chatteris, for distribution to markets within a 100-mile radius, including London, Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester.
With the exception of occasional back loads of manure from London, the lorries return empty. It would not, therefore, be economic to travel to more distant towns, as this would necessitate increasing the driving staff and would disrupt the existing organization. Restricted to one-way loading, it has
been found more economic to dispatch about 20 per cent. of the produce by British Road Services, who have proved to be most reliable.
Drivers' duties are staggered, so that after a long journey each one spends a day on short-distance interfarm work or runs between the farms and the Chatteris base. In the event of a load not being available because of unexpected difficulties, the drivers never remain idle. They are given jobs hauling sand and gravel in connection with road making.
Fifteen of the long-distance vehicles are of Dodge make and these include seven 5-ton platform lorries powered by Perkins P6 engines, one 6-ton oiler, six 6-ton petrol-engined vehicles and a petrolengined cattle float. These were supplied by the local Dodge distributors, Messrs. Parker and Son, St. Ives, who carry out all but routine maintenance work at the St. Ives workshops or at depots in Fenstanton and Bedford.
An unusual custom adopted by Mr. Rickwood is to authorize drivers to seek advice from the Parker staff and to take their vehicles to the workshops for minor repairs on their own initiative. Normally, however, the transport foreman is first consulted.
All repairs are carried out by the Parker fitters, and in an emergency
a repair is put in hand at any time of the day or night with, if required, :he assistance of mechanics from Dither depots.
The transport schedules are such bat the driver generally has time to nspect his vehicle, check tyre sressures and so on, at the concluion of a long journey. The two itters who maintain the tractor fleet • erform the greasing jobs. Organizing maintenance on this riendly basis works well and saves osts. In the interests of both good ?AaAions and efficiency, the welfare f the drivers is given careful conderation by Mr. Rickwood. The abs of all long-distance vehicles are tted with heaters and demisters. and yin fog-lights form part of the iuipment, Each vehicle averages about 5,000 miles a year, replacements !Mg made every four to five years. his policy avoids complete rebuild g of the vehicles, which are rarely f the road for more than 48 hours, en when a reconditioned engine is ted.
Changing an oil engine occupies out 11 days, and this includes a eck on all chassis parts and tking minor renewals where neces-y. A petrol engine is changed in day and a top overhaul of either se requires from four to five hours, s being made of spare cylinder ids.
The Dodge with the longest record has covered about 120,000 miles, during which the oil engine has been changed and the bodywork repainted. No other major work on this vehicle has been necessary.
Oil-engined vehicles are preferred for long-distance work as they average 18 m.p.g., compared with the 11 m.p.g. returned by the petrol engined lorries. The average tyre mileage is about 35,000, the oilers showing to a slight advantage.
In addition to the vehicles mentioned in the long-distance fleet, there are eight Ford Thames lorries of 5-ton capacity, two of which are fitted with the maker's petrol engines and six with Perkins P6 oil engines. The two remaining long-distance lorries are Morris-Commercial 31-tonners and a Commer 7-ton underfloor-engined vehicle. The Commer is fitted with a light-alloy platform body which increases the payload and is considered very suitable for farm work.
Other vehicles in the fleet comprise five Chevrolet ex-W.D. four-wheeldrive lorries of 3-5-ton capacity, two of which are tippers. These are mainly employed in collecting produce from the fields and delivering to the transport depot at Chatteris. Vehicles which are employed on both inter-farm work and occasional long-distance runs include four Austin 4-5-ton lorries, three of which are powered with the maker's petrol engines and one by a Perkins P6 oil engine.
Other Austins include a 2-ton petrol lorry, two 25-cwt. vans and an A40 pick-up. The remainder corn
prise five Fordson 5-cwt. vans, two l0-cwt. vans of the same make. a ForcLson ex-W.D. 4-by-4 vehicle and a Land Rover.
Much of the produce is transferred from the short-distance to the longdistance vehicles at Chatteris. Mr. Rickwood is one of the leading growers of carrots in the country, and the loads are brought from the Norfolk estates, a distance of 26 miles, to Chatteris for washing and preparation for market.
Potatoes, parsnips and celery form the bulk of the produce. Seed potatoes are matured in chittinghouses and the drivers often assist the farm hands in the large amount of handling which is necessary.
All the produce with the exception of celery is carried in sacks. At one time celery was packed in rolls for transport, but it is now loaded in returnable wooden crates. Frost often interferes with the transport organization, particularly with regard to carrots, which may develop rot if harvested immediately after a frost. As many as 12 lorries are sometimes held up at the last moment for this reason alone, Mr. Rickwood claims to have the largest pedigree herd of white pigs in Britain, numbering over 3,000 and including prize pigs which are taken all over the country to the leading shows. Although a fleet of 80 tractors is employed at the various farms, over 50 horses still work on the land. These are all Percherons and include many animals with show prizes to their credit.
The Dodge cattle float is invariably used for transporting the animals to the shows and no other means of conveyance would be considered suitable. The Jennings float-body is removable and the vehicle can also be used on generalpurpose work when required, which greatly reduces the overall cost of operation. P.A.C.B.